LIVESTOCK carrier Queen Hind has capsized off the city of Constanta, Romania, on the Black Sea, with many sheep understood to have drowned.
The incident occurred on Sunday morning local time.
Authorities report all the crew were rescued.
The vessel is reported to have been carrying more than 14,000 sheep.
“We have already saved a small number. They were swimming in the sea,” Stoica Anamaria, spokeswoman for the emergency services in Constanța, told the BBC.
One crew member was treated for hypothermia.
Investigations are underway into what caused the ship to capsize. Queen Hind was launched in 1980 and is flagged in Palau, a small island nation in Micronesia.
The incident is likely to put the spotlight back on to the live export sector, an area which has faced much scrutiny over animal welfare in recent years.
